Two particularly challenging problems facing the world today are the energy shortage and waste disposal. Both problems are most pronounced in the highly industrialized population centers to which the people are drawn more and more in developing societies.
Since the turn of the century, the rapid industrialization of the United States has progressed almost without concern for any limitations on the availability of energy. Coal was available in seemingly unlimited supply. Oil and natural gas were abundant at home and oil could be imported from a number of foreign sources at a very reasonable cost.
Because oil and natural gas offered convenience and a lower level of atmospheric pollution, the trend toward a greater use of these fuels began gradually and then accelerated as environmental concerns became more pronounced. With the trend toward the cleaner fuels, there came a gradual awareness that the United States could no longer consider itself to be self sufficient in terms of energy and the country began looking for other energy sources including nuclear energy. There was as yet, however, no real sense of alarm.
With the recent crisis in the Middle East and the Oil Embargo, there was an abrupt change in the energy picture as viewed by the people and the leadership of the country. It was immediately recognized that alternative energy sources must be developed as rapidly as possible to compensate for the short supply and the increasingly high cost of oil.
In the face of this sudden challenge, a number of complications arose which made the problem unexpectedly difficult. Environmentalists raised their voices against the polluting effects of coal, against the devastation of the land by strip mining and concerning the risks associated with nuclear power. Our attempts to develop our own sources of natural gas by off-shore drilling and the construction of the Alaskan oil line have also been hindered and delayed because of environmental concerns.
This trend of events has led us to the brink of a very serious crisis and effective and immediate measures are needed to avert a serious economic disaster which is certain to follow if the energy problem is not solved.
The second vexing problem involving the disposal of waste had been developing at the same time. The cost of handling rubbish and cast-off materials from homes and industries was becoming increasingly prohibitive as cities turned to more expensive means of disposal which were more acceptable from environmental considerations. Such means included covering refuse with soil and then developing parks and recreation areas over the covered refuse.
By this time, a few astute and observant industrialists began to recognize the paradox that here in the midst of an energy shortage a potentially rich source of energy was being plowed under the ground. Clearly, there must be a way to salvage the energy from the waste while at the same time, provide a solution to the waste disposal problem. The present invention provides a means for accomplishing these two important goals.